Roomy, sporty, hot-selling crossovers are elbowing in on minivans and SUVs. We test six of the new family haulers on the track and in real-life driving (with a trunk-space showdown video for each!)

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The template for the American family car is changing — again. Folks have grown weary of thirsty, stiff-riding trucks. And minivans, as functional as they may be, just aren't hip. But families need to haul the troops, and manufacturers still want to sell them cars. Hence, the crossover, a vehicle that tries to offer the best of three seemingly contradictory worlds: the attitude of an SUV, the practicality of a minivan and the sophistication of a sedan. Suddenly, crossovers — especially those with three rows of seating — have become one of the hottest segments of the market. Nearly a dozen new models will debut this year. But locating the crossover sweet spot is tricky. Some models favor storage capacity over style, while others sacrifice off-road ruggedness for sporty handling or a plush interior.

Finding the perfect compromise is partly a matter of individual needs. For our test of six groundbreaking models, the main criterion was real-world practicality. We loaded coolers, beach chairs and baby seats and spent hours riding in third-row seats. We braved parking garages, mountain roads and urban jungles, all in addition to running our normal test regimen. The upshot? Turns out practicality and fun aren't always mutually exclusive.

Honda Pilot EX |The Pilot is both visually and dynamically the square peg of this test. It's capable in a very traditional SUV-like sense without the modern feel and swoopy sheetmetal of many crossovers. The boxy body provides excellent visibility and an airiness to the cabin. Yet, third-row access and legroom are surprisingly compromised for such a large vehicle. The Pilot rode smoothly, and fearlessly tackled the deepest potholes. Hondas are usually track stars — but not this time. At the strip, the Pilot's 244-hp 3.5-liter V6 with five-speed transmission fell behind the pack. And the Pilot's soft suspension and tall-profile, comfort-biased tires have very obvious limitations when speed and corners are combined. A twisty road driven hard is a tire-squealing, under-steering affair. Nothing unsafe, just not at all fun. However, if that road were a slick, muddy two-track, the Honda would be our first choice. It's the only one here with a locking rear differential for low-speed four-wheeling.

That makes it the most competent off-road vehicle of this group. The Pilot also ties the Saturn Outlook for highest towing capacity — 4500 pounds. So, while it might lack the zip and polish of its competitors, the Pilot is a robust, roomy and capable crossover.

30.18Subaru Tribeca Limited |The sporty Subaru was one of the best-handling models in the test. Of course, given Subaru's rally racing heritage, we expected some of that pedigree would rub off on this flagship vehicle. Next to the Mazda, the Subaru had the most talented footwork and posted high speeds in our handling tests. It was the easiest of the bunch to snake through the cones, and the most fun, too. On the street, all our testers were fans of the Subaru's poise. However, the steering was particularly heavy at lower speeds. We wonder if smaller drivers would tolerate that extra steering heft every day. A mild freshening this year has brought new sheetmetal and a larger 256-hp 3.6-liter flat Six. Yep, it's a flat Six — just like a Porsche. Don't expect the growl of a fine-tuned German sports car, but the Tribeca did tie the Mazda for second-quickest acceleration times and beat all but the Highlander to 60 mph. The Tribeca may not sound like a Porsche, but it does brake like one. It out-stopped at least half the pack by 20 ft. or more. Passive safety features are vital, but nothing beats good brakes when it comes to avoiding an accident in the first place. Inside, the Tribeca is a slightly odd place to be. The curved dash is progressive and kind of weird. The gauges sit too far below our normal sightline. Passengers in the second row get roomy accommodations but the third row is cramped and tough to access. It does have a split seat, so a camping trip with a family of six isn't out of the question. With more room and less funk, the Subaru would be a top pick.

123.61Toyota Highlander Limited |The Highlander was one of the first car-based crossovers. And the new one is a marked improvement over the impressive original. If blowing the neighbor's doors off is your priority, the Highlander is the best pick. The 270-hp 3.5-liter V6 is incredibly powerful and smooth. It was quickest by a wide margin and our favorite powerplant in the test. It's rare that the quickest vehicle returns the best mileage. But the Toyota did just that. (And the Highlander is the only one here that offers a hybrid drivetrain option.) The zippy power-train, light steering and diminutive size made it our favorite for squirting through traffic and fitting in those "compact" parking spots. It was a fun ride through the canyons, too. Inside, the nav system was praised by all testers, as were the big round knobs for the radio and climate control. Some, however, found the materials less luxurious than before. Toyota's remodel of the Highlander includes some very handy features. There are pull levers near the tailgate that drop the second-row seats flat — perfect for impromptu trips to Costco. The second row on our tester also had the clever Center-Stow console, which allows the seat to become a three-person bench or two buckets. There's also an extra rearview mirror for keeping an eye on back-seat brawls. But hauling lots of people is not this vehicle's forte. The third-row seats do not split and are tight for adults. Worse, the cargo area is one of the smallest in this group. The good news? The Highlander is a class leader — among five-passenger SUVs. But in this seven- and eight-passenger club, the Toyota is a half size too small.

2.78Saturn Outlook XR |If hauling passengers and stuff is the only criterion, read no further. The Outlook is huge. It fits more people, more comfortably than any crossover on these pages — period. And, unlike most here, the Saturn can swallow massive amounts of cargo even with all the seats deployed. In that regard, it's the most minivanesque hauler here. The seats flip, fold and slide to provide limousinelike access to the third row. Once back there, even Shaq could get comfy. The interior has tight panel gaps on the dash, soft-touch materials, and an upscale feel. The gauges are well-placed and easy to read. Dynamically, the Saturn is a shocker. A vehicle this big doesn't have a right to move with such élan. One tester proclaimed, "The spring and damper rates are spot on — the engineers really did their homework." On country roads the handling was tight and secure. But the sheer size of this big rig made parking-lot chores just that — a chore. On the freeway, the Saturn is particularly serene. It rides like it should have a Cadillac crest on its grille. The 275-hp 3.6-liter V6 never feels underpowered but it does have to work to move the 5000-pound SUV. It was the slowest of our group and had the longest stopping distances. The transmission is geared for fuel economy and has a tendency to lock on to the overdrive gear every chance it gets. Aggressive freeway driving results in constant hunting. If this test were titled, "Who's got the roomiest SUV?" the Saturn would win. But for us, its slightly cumbersome size just misses that sweet spot we think most buyers are looking for.

65.4Hyundai Veracruz Limited |What's this? Hyundai beats Toyota, Honda and GM? Well, ... yes. The Veracruz, Hyundai's largest crossover, might be this Korean automaker's best vehicle. Our Limited came with some very upscale features. There's a whole cubby for your iPod, with a jack and plug for charging. The steering wheel has power tilt and telescope. The center console is refrigerated, so no more melted chocolate bars for the kiddies. And the perforated-leather seats keep mommies and daddies cool, too. There's even overhead mood lighting and an illuminated doorsill plate — features normally found on luxury cars. The Veracruz rides softly on the freeway, yet grips challenging roads. Even with the stability-control system turned off, it delivered safe, dead-neutral handling. Our only complaint was the rather numb, on-center steering feel. The 3.8-liter V6 is stronger than the midpack acceleration times would suggest and it's relatively hushed at redline, too. On our canyon-handling loop, high above Malibu, Calif., the Veracruz had enough torque to stay in fifth gear on mild grades when others needed a downshift. Like the Saturn, its third row was easy to get into. But it had a bit less space behind that seat. Luckily, the last row is a split-fold design so we only sacrificed one person to fit our largest Coleman cooler. Most of the Veracruz's goodness can be had on the lower-grade models. So you can skip some features and still have one of the best seven-passenger crossovers on the market.

67.7Tires (F/R)
P245/60R18Lateral acceleration (G's)
.66PM fuel economy (mpg)
18.2Double lane change (mph)
49.5Weight/HP:weight ratio
4644 lb./17.8:1Slalom (mph)
43.2Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring |The Mazda CX-9 was our unanimous winner. And it's easy to see why. Beneath that taut, muscular bodywork is a chassis tuned to provide smiles when the road twists. It was the back-road hustler of the group. Under the sculpted hood sits a 263-hp 3.5-liter V6, which helped the Mazda earn second-quickest times in the quarter-mile and second-best fuel economy. Its six-speed transmission, like the steering and suspension, encourages frisky behavior. It's usually in the right gear and if not, snaps off a quick, precise downshift. In this test, the gold-medal winner must do more. The sweptback roofline says "no room back here." But somehow, the CX9 is one of the most spacious. Third-row-seat access and comfort are second only to that of the gargantuan Saturn. The middle seat slides easily forward, allowing a wide walkway to the "way back." It's a great gear hauler, too. With all seven seats occupied, it can still pack all the trimmings necessary for a family outing to the beach. Is the Mazda completely faultless? Nope. Our test model was delivered with fwd instead of all-wheel drive (which would add another grand to the sticker). A snowy driveway could pose a challenge to a CX-9. Particularly with the urban-chic 20-in. wheels and low-profile tires, it's not our first choice for a rough road. In fact, the Mazda rode a bit too stiff, thanks to those "dubs." Still, the CX-9 most cohesively satisfies a need to carry a large family and a desire for spirited driving, and wraps it all in a downright sexy package.